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Author
Topic: Hippo and Turtle (Read 1599 times)

NAIROBI (AFP) - A baby hippopotamus that survived the tsunami waves on the Kenyan coast has formed a strong bond with a giant male century-old tortoise, in an animal facility in the port city of Mombassa, officials said.

The hippopotamus, nicknamed Owen and weighing about 300 kilograms (650 pounds), was swept down Sabaki River into the Indian Ocean, then forced back to shore when tsunami waves struck the Kenyan coast on December 26, before wildlife rangers rescued him.

"It is incredible. A-less-than-a-year-old hippo has adopted a male tortoise, about a century old, and the tortoise seems to be very happy with being a 'mother'," ecologist Paula Kahumbu, who is in charge of Lafarge Park, told AFP.

"After it was swept and lost its mother, the hippo was traumatized. It had to look for something to be a surrogate mother. Fortunately, it landed on the tortoise and established a strong bond. They swim, eat and sleep together," the ecologist added. "The hippo follows the tortoise exactly the way it follows its mother. If somebody approaches the tortoise, the hippo becomes aggressive, as if protecting its biological mother," Kahumbu added.

"The hippo is a young baby, he was left at a very tender age and by nature, hippos are social animals that like to stay with their mothers for four years," he explained.

This is a real story that shows that our differences don't matter much when we need the comfort of another. We could all learn a lesson from these two creatures of God, Look beyond the differences and find a way to walk the path together.

This is a real story that shows that our differences don't matter much when we need the comfort of another. We could all learn a lesson from these two creatures of God, Look beyond the differences and find a way to walk the path together.

True blue! That hippo is cute. Thanks so much for sharing Teresa (This stuff is good for the heart)

I heard this story also, and my first thought was Can the Movie be far behind ? it would beat the Hell out of Shrek. Ive also heard of similar bondings in the animal kingdom one of which was in a book called 'A Moose For Jessica" about a moose that fell in 'love' with a cow.

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"Fortunately, I Keep My T Cells Numbered For Just Such An Emergency" -Either Foghorn Leghorn or Johnny Cash

You just made me homesick. Just like I was when I was in the Army, and stationed in Stuttgart Germany. I went home for three weeks in December of 1968 to spend some time with the parents, and they decided to spend five days on the coast in Mombasa. I am sitting here in this photo, nursing a sun burn that was actually sun poisoning on my legs. Yes, I know, but I only spent fifteen minutes laying in the sun and it kept me down for the rest of the five days. Oh well, the two fresh 10 pound lobsters kept me from worrying too much about my own pain. Mombasa is really a neat place to spend some time, and the beaches are unbelieveable. If any of you want an East African Guide, I would absolutely be ready in 30 days to escort anyone around Kenya, and show you a wonderful time. Your only requirement is to pay for me and my sweetie. Tee Hee.

Thanks Teresa, this is the last thing I expected to ever see on this forum. And Yes, you are right, nature does have a way of taking care of it's own.

IN Love, and appreciation for the little things.Asante Sana, Teresa. (Thanks very much, Teresa.... swahilli)

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« Last Edit: July 20, 2006, 02:39:29 PM by Moffie65 »

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The Bible contains 6 admonishments to homosexuals,and 362 to heterosexuals.This doesn't mean that God doesn't love heterosexuals, It's just that they need more supervision.Lynn Lavne